1. Field of the Invention
The present invention most directly relates to safety devices for candles. This invention focuses on increasing the safety of candles by safely extinguishing a candle and preventing the danger of fires. More specifically, the invention is an apparatus for automatically extinguishing a candle in a safe environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Candles have been used for lighting and decorations for centuries. Where candles originally began as a necessity, a way to provide lighting, it now is used mainly as a decorative item. Today candles are typically used to create an ambience, of soft lighting and dispensing a fragrant scent. Use of candles ranges from calming peripheral senses, kindling romance, stress relief, healing, and as simplistic as a household air freshening tool.
The use of candles has become popular and prominent across the world, however while candles provide such a beneficial use, that use has been followed by a long existing hazard. Since the early use of candles, the hazard that has followed is commonly fires. The National Fire Protection Association reported that half of the home candle fires occurred by the candle being placed too close to a combustible item, 18% was from unattended or abandoned candles, which falling asleep was a factor in 12% of the fire cases. The fires caused by candles may result in great amounts of property damage and possibly deaths as well.
One of the more common causes of the candle fire hazard is the type of wick used in the candle. The length of a candle wick directly relates to the manner in which the flame will burn. Longer candle wicks for a taller flame, those tall flames will normally burn in an irregular pattern. These irregular patterns create a dangerous propensity for fires. The dangers as it relates to candle wicks, is the possibility of overheating. It is this unpredictable rise and variation in temperature which may cause a candle container to crack. This cracking of the candle container while it is still burning has been a significant concern as well as a fire hazard. In addition to cracking, overly long wicks may spark off and float in the air. This increases the risk of such sparks landing on flammable items, increasing the likelihood of fires.
The temperature spikes which occur are most often related to the length of the candle wick. When a candle wick flares out, the fire that ensues may burn erratically. Such erratic behavior can cause the flame to burn uncontrollably causing a fire. Extended candle exposure to temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit can cause candle wax to crack, which is an unsafe condition. Extended candle exposure to temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit can make the wax soften and it will begin to lose its shape. Extended candle exposure to temperatures well above 80 degrees Fahrenheit causes the candle flame to burn too hot, which creates the erratic flame and causes overheating of the candle and extreme chance of a fire. Increased temperatures in wax causes glass containers holding the wax to crack or even explode. This normally occurs when the wax is too low and the candle continues to burn. The best solution to this problem is to automatically extinguish the candle before any critical temperatures are reached.
Another common cause of candle fires occurs as a result of human error. The most common form of human error is forgetfulness. When a candle is left burning and is unattended, for a period of time longer than deliberately anticipated, the chances of a fire is heightened. Almost 60% of candle fires result from unattended candles. The candle may be unattended because the user has left the location where the candle was burning without extinguishing the fire.
This human error factor which causes potential fires may occur when placing the candle in areas of high drafts, from a window, a vent or an air conditioning may cause the candle to burn unevenly, this also speeds up the burn time. This may also increase the likelihood of fires.
A fire hazard is also created with the placement of combustible items within an unsafe perimeter around the candle, such as curtains, paper, furniture, wood or even plastic. Leaving these materials within the unsafe perimeter of the candle is another source of candle based fires.
These hazards caused by candle use are acknowledged across the world and many steps have been taken to provide products to the public which will decrease the likelihood of fires. Many devices and apparatuses which currently exist are dedicated to the sole purpose of providing methods to extinguish candles in a safe environment in order to reduce the risk of fires. The most closely related prior art relates to attempts to alleviate the risk of fire, by extinguishing candle flames after a predetermined amount of time by utilizing a collapsible hinge. This hinge is fixed to the lid of the container. The hinge is magnetic and it holds the lid open and when the lid is released and the container containing the candle is closed. This process eliminates the air flow and extinguishes the candle.
Other devices which attempt to achieve this goal include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,572,365, 7,198,484, 7,226,284, 6,695,511, 6,379,242, 7,223,166, 6,494,708, D496,475, D511,985, 4,787,017, 7,067,772. However, the prior art does not adequately satisfy the problem of preventing fire hazards and arguably does not provide an aesthetically pleasing and useful design.
Therefore, it is useful and advantageous to provide a device and method of extinguishing a candle flame that will not only decrease the likelihood of fires, but also provide and aesthetically pleasing design for various sizes and shapes of candles, such that it will entice more candle users to use a fire hazard conscious device.